Industriales is a baseball club in the Cuban National Series (SNB), representing the city of Havana and the surrounding province of the same name. It plays its home games at the Estadio Latinoamericano, located in the El Cerro neighborhood of Havana. Since Metropolitanos folded in 2012, Industriales have been the sole team representing the country's capital.
Industriales is one of the oldest teams in Cuban baseball, dating back to the second season of the National Series in 1962. The perceived successor to the Almendares baseball team from the professional Cuban League, it is historically the most successful team in the National Series.
The team has a strong rivalry with Santiago de Cuba, and their meetings are known as the Superclásico; the rivalry, which reflects the rivalry between the cities of Havana and Santiago de Cuba), has been compared to the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry due to its ferocity. Industriales are known as "the Lions" (Leones), "the Blues" (Azules), and "the Blue Lions" (los Leones Azules).
History The team was founded in 1961 after the end of professional baseball in Cuba. It did not participate in the inaugural National Series, but instead debuted in the second-level Regional Series; it lost to the Habana club. The next year, Industriales defeated Habana in the Serie Regional to qualify for the 1963 Cuban National Series, debuting on February 10, 1963 at the Estadio Latinoamericano. Its first manager was Pipo de la Noval, though he would be replaced in 1963 with Ramón Carneado. The team is frequently mentioned in Refugee by Alan Gratz as a team Ivañ wanted to play for.
The team won the Cuban National Series in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973, 1986, 1992, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010. Today the team holds the record of victories in a season (96 games in Cuba) with 66 games and more National Series won in a row with 4 straight national championships (1963-1966).
Championships Season Manager Record Seriesscore Runner-up 1962–63 Ramón Carneado 16–14 — Oriente 1963–64 Ramón Carneado 22–13 — Occidentales 1964–65 Ramón Carneado 25–14 — Occidentales 1965–66 Ramón Carneado 40–25 — Orientales 1972–73 Pedro Chávez 53–25 — Habana 1985–86 Pedro Chávez 37–11 6–0 Vegueros 1962–63 Jorge Trigoura 36–12 7–1 Henequeneros 1995–96 Pedro Medina 41–22 8–2 Villa Clara 2002–03 Rey Vicente Anglada 66–23 11–2 Villa Clara 2003–04 Rey Vicente Anglada 52–38 11–4 Villa Clara 2005–06 Rey Vicente Anglada 56–34 11–7 Santiago de Cuba 2009–10 Germán Mesa 47–43 12–6 Villa Clara Total championships 12
National Series MVPs The following Industriales players have been named the National Series' most valuable player. 1965: Urbano González 1967: Pedro Chávez 1971: Antonio Jiménez 1972: Agustín Marquetti 1986: Lázaro Vargas 1987: Javier Méndez 1996: Jorge Fumero 2003: Javier Méndez 2020: Lisbán Correa
Other notable players
Defectors A number of Industriales players have defected from Cuba, often to pursue professional baseball in other countries. These include the following:
Television broadcasts Beginning 2016-2017, alongside the nationally aired games on Tele Rebelde, several Industriales games at home are aired currently on local TV channel Canal Habana.
References
External links
Official Site